cooper



March 10, 1964 F. D. COOPER 7 SOLIDS FLOW SYSTEM Original Filed Feb. 27, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR Franklin D. Cooper March 10, 1964 F. D. COOPER 3, 70

SOLIDS FLOW SYSTEM Original Filed Feb. 27, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

INVENTOR Franklin D. C00? 2 W; W

March 10, 1964 F. D. COOPER souns FLOW SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Feb. 27, 1959 1 m k l m INVENTOR Franklin D. Cooper F. D. COQPER SOLIDS FLOW SYSTEM March 10, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Feb. 27, 1959 INVENTOR Franklin D. Cooper #W March 10, 1964 -F. D. COOPER 3,124,170

SOLIDS FLOW SYSTEM Original Filed Feb. 27, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Franklin D. Cooper 3,124,170 Patented Mar. 10, 1964 3,124,170 SULIDS FLUW RYSTEM Franklin D. Cooper, Arlington, Va., assignor to Bituminous Coal Research, Inc, Monroeville, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Uriginal application Feb. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 795,994, new Patent No. 3,081,009, dated Mar. 12, 1963. Divided and this application Oct. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 233,538

8 Claims. (Cl. 141-18) This invention relates to new bin, hopper and/ or conduit means from which particulate solid materials, of varying or uniform size, may be caused to flow as desired, even though in a condition that might heretofore have been considered as in either a non-flowable condition or a poor flowable condition, without packing, jamming, arching and/or channeling. More particularly, this invention pertains to new hopper-type devices for, and novel flow therethrough of, such solid materials, such devices having an inverted conical or tapered passage terminating in an outlet of practical size opening or openable into a relatively open spatial discontinuity.

Simply by way of illustration, a reference maybe made to bituminous coal which is made available in a variety of sizes and in a variety of conditions of surface moisture. It long has been known that when the separate particles and lumps of such a substance have too much surface moisture for particular storage or movement conditions or service, packing or jamming of such coal would result. Indeed, in many industries using coal and other substances in which difficulty with free flow is often encountered, workmen are employed with routine duties to punch or rod or poke or hammer on bins, hoppers and conduits heretofore used in an effort to start or maintain flow of such substances. Other means to avoid the anticipated difliculties include in some prior practices equipment for drying such substances before they are stored or put in to the flow passages of the system in which they are to be treated or used; in other cases, various electrical means have been used or various vibration or structural means have been attached to the equipment, or various additives have been added to the solids, to try to improve storage and/or flow characteristics of such solids. Further, when such a substance did flow as from a bin or in a hopper of prior kinds, the flow that would occur would often tend to funnel or channel with, in some cases, arching or ratholing or segregation of different sizes or uneven rates of flow, or several of these difiiculties might occur at the same time. And, almost invariably relatively large quantities of material would stick or remain in such a prior bin or hopper.

In the new solids fiow system of my invention disclosed herein, those problems which might normally be anticipated with coal and other substances having separate particles including pieces, lumps, granules and nodules, of varying or uniform size are inhibited and within the capacity of the particular equipment used, are avoided. I have discovered that by providing my mechanism having an annular inverted conical passage with a terminal outlet communicating with a relatively open spatial discontinuity, particulate substances which, because of wetness, moisture content or inherent characteristics, would normally be expected in the storing and/or gravity flow movement thereof to give difficulty even up to the point of refusal to start flowing from storage or of the cessation of flow in the course of movement, such substances handled under my invention will store well in static condition and upon any opening of the outlet at the bottom of such annular inverted conical passage will flow relatively freely including flow under conditions Where it would be impractical or impossible to use prior equipment. Moreover, the flow of such solids pursuant to my new system will operate with lower lateral hopper pressures upon the equipment in the course of flow, with uniform lowering of the level of the surface of such material as flow occurs, with rapid attainment of maximum flow consonant with the opening provided at the apex of the annular inverted conical passage, with relatively uniform and full flow discharge from the new system even though fresh material may be being fed to one side of the entry portion of the passage, with self-cleaning by the complete emptying of the interior of the equipment in my new system when flow to that extent is desired, with the ability to interrupt fiow as desired without detriment to resumption and to resume flow again by the mere reopening of the outlet at the bottom of the annular inverted conical passage, with trouble-free storage if desired above such annular inverted conical passage surrounding a conical recess in gen eral registry with the base of the inverted conical center in the interior of said annular inverted conical passage, and, without need for vibrators, or other flow aids commonly employed heretofore.

Other objects, features and advantages of my new solids flow system will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, which are illustrative only, in which FIGURE 1 is a View in elevation and section, with parts of the cap cone and an inverted cone in the inside thereof partly broken away, to illustrate a cooperating bin and hopper embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view taken generally along line IIII of FIGURE 1, with the cap cone shown in FIG- URE 1 removed;

FIGURE 3 is a detailed view in elevation taken generally along line III-III of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view like that shown in FIGURE 1 of a somewhat modified embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 5 is a view in elevation and section of a further modification of my invention showing a conduit hopper embodiment at a junction between two conveyor belts for the solids being conveyed;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of another cooperating bin and hopper modification of my invention with the cap and inverted cones and the conical hopper shell in pyramidal form;

FIGURE 7 is a front view, with a portion of the exerior broken away, of a rectangular modification of my invention;

FIGURE 8 is an end View, with a portion of the exterior thereof broken away, of the modification shown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of the modification shown in FIGURES 7 and 8;

FIGURE 10 is a somewhat more detailed View of the bottom of the bin discharge device modification shown in FIGURE 8 to illustrate a novel closure means therefor;

FIGURE 11 is a front view of a rectangular modification of the type shown in FIGURES 7 to 10 utilized as a bin and discharge device for a coke oven in cooperation with a larry car embodiment of my invention, an external portion of which has been broken away, said figure having been taken generally along line XIXI of FIGURE 12 with the covers removed from the ports shown in FIG URE 12; and

FIGURE 12 is a view in section taken along line XIIXII of FIGURE 11.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawings, a new solids flow device 10 may comprise a cylindrical bin shell portion 11 having a cap cone 12 positioned coaxially therein, a tapered hopper shell 13 and an inverted hopper cone 14 positioned coaxially therein. As shown, shell 11 is provided with an upper flange 15 for attachment, if

desired, to the bottom or side of a bunker or silo to keep bin shell 11 filled with a material to be dispensed or distributed as and when desired by the flow discharge thereof out of an outlet 16 adjacent the bottom of hopper 13-14, by gravity flow, whenever a slide gate 17 is partially or fully opened dependent upon the rate of flow desired. Or, device may receive solid particles from a conveyor or a receptacle emptying into the top of shell 11 normally from a height consonant with the avoidance of undesired and known compacting to which the material may otherwise be inherently subject. Still further, my new solids flow device 10 may be made in the form of a mobile unit by being mounted on a wheeled vehicle or frame either alone or in assemblage with other such units 10 for use, as an example of a mobile form, as a larry car for coke ovens.

The shells 11 and 13 and the cones 12 and 14 may be made of any suitable material such as sheet metal or carbon steel of suflicient thickness for its capacity. As shown, portions of the bin and hopper shells 11 and 13 may be made in flanged ringlike sections joined together, if such sectional construction is preferred, as may be the case with larger capacity devices. Cap cone 12 is preferably provided with a filler plate 18 in its base and the inverted cone 14 is provided with a filler plate 19 closing its base. Both cones may be supported in operative adjoining base to base position by a spider 20 having radially extending angle arms joined at the crossover center as shown in FIGURE 2 and having a central hole in which an upwardly and downwardly coaxially extending pin 21 may be fixed for centering purposes, a central hole being provided in each of the filler plates 18 and 19 for such centering purpose. The cones 12 and 14 may be fastened in unit 10 by tack welding of the cones to the spider 20.

In device 10, the elevation of spider 20 and therefore of the respective bin and hopper cones 12 and 14 may be adjusted in a variety of ways one of which is shown in detail in FIGURE 3. Thus, at cardinal points around the device 10 above the junction between the bin shell and hopper shell portions thereof, vertical slots 22 may be provided so that internal brackets 23 may be affixed at the selected height to the outer shell of device 10 by a stud, lock washer and nut assembly 24. The outer ends of the spider 20 are supported on the horizontal flange of the respective brackets 23 and rigidly connected thereto by bolt and nut assemblies 25 in the illustrated embodiment. Any portion of the respective slots 22 above the brackets 23 may be closed by a slidable shield 26 affixed to such bracket. In this way, an adjustment may be made in the height of the central cones for optimum positioning principally of the inverted hopper cone 14 in hopper shell 13 with the apex 27 of the inverted cone adjacent the restricted outlet 16 at the bottom of hopper 1314.

In operation, a batch of wet coal of small size including slack may, for example, originally be at a level 28 when gate 17 is opened by moving the gate to its dotted line position shown in FIGURE 1 until the level in bin 1112 falls to the level 28a. In the course of such flow, the top surface of the coal remains relatively level and undisturbed. Moreover, the flow of coal from the outlet 16 is a solid fluid-like flow which quickly attains a maximum consonant with the opening provided by the extent that gate 17 is moved and which, moreover, remains ap proximately at that maximum despite the change in the height of the coal above outlet 16 during the course of the movement of the top surface thereof, e.g., from a higher level 28 to a lower level 28a. During such flow, the coal moves through the annular inverted conical passage 29 between the exterior surface of cone 14 and the interior surface of hopper shell 13 with faster movement in the portions of coal bordering the surface of cone 14 relative to the portions of the flowing coal bordering the interior surface of the shell 13. And, those unique flow characteristics described remain even though the coal may be fed into the top of bin shell 11 from one side thereof rather than evenly across the entire area of the same. Such interior surface of shell 13 is at a relatively steep :angle to the horizontal greater than the respective angle of repose in a relatively dry condition of the particular solids particles being handled. While flow is going on, the lateral pressure outwardly from the vertical axis of device 10 decreases against the upper part of shell 13 and increases slightly against the lower part of shell 13 rel- ;ative to static non-flow pressure conditions. The lateral pressure against the interior of shell 11 opposite the sides of cap cone 12 under flow conditions appears to increase somewhat. The new flow results also obtain even though gate 17 is opened but a slight amount so that the opened portion of outlet 16 is somewhat offset from the vertical central axis of the device 10. Still further, if, for example, when the level of the coal in device 10 reaches level 28a, the gate 17 is quickly shut closing outlet 16, the coal remaining in device 11) will not compact or wedge or arch but will be retained in flowable condition and re- :sume the new flow characteristics upon the reopening thereafter of gate 17.

As an example, by way of illustration only and not 'by way of limitation, a test demonstration of a device like device 10 provided a discharge flow at a maximum rate of 2500 pounds of wet coal per minute of A x 0-inch bituminous coal having about 13% of surface moisture based on the combined weight of dry coal and water. Moreover, the rate of flow has been throttled to as low a rate as 9 pounds per minute by the use of a moving horizontal conveyor placed below and near to open outlet 16 to remove such coal at that rate. Further, even when gate 17 was closed very rapidly shutting off the coal, flow rapidly began again upon reopening of the gate, showing that in my new device such closure of the hopper opening does not cause Wedtging or jamming of the coal in the device despite the high surface water content thereof. In another test with the device, A x 0- 1inch coal in admixture with X O-inch coal in the volumetric ratio of and 20 respectively and having '9 weight percent surface moisture provided the same new flow characteristics which have been described in the preceding test. Indeed, small size coals, including slack, having surface moisture quantities up to 16% by weight based on the combined weight of coal and water flowed whenever the hopper outlet 16 was opened without arching, compacting, 'wedging, jamming, ratholing or interrupting itself. In feeding larger sized particles such as egg coal to a device such as that illustrated in FIGURE 1, which egg coal may have a general size about 2 x 3- inches with pieces as long as 5 inches, it was also noticed that there is a tendency in the use of such devices of this invention for such larger pieces to become oriented so that the longest axis thereof is in the general direction of flow, thereby further promoting the flow of such materials.

In such illustrative tests, the device used was in substantial conformance with device 10 with the interior apex angle and base angles of cap cone 12 each equal to 60; the interior base angles between filler plate 19 and the sides of inverted cone 14 were 77; and the interior apex angle of the inverted cone 14 was 26; the beginning taper of the two uppermost tapered ring sections of hopper shell 13 made an angle of 60 with the horizontal while the three lowermost tapered ring sections thereof were at an angle of 75 from the horizontal. The apex point 27 of hopper cone 14 was positioned 2 inches above the plane of outlet 16, which outlet had an internal diameter of 8 /2 inches. The internal diameter of shell 11 was 36 inches and the diameter of the bases of the respective cones was 20 inches. The foregoing figures and the following tabulated dimensions and areas of that test device are provided herein by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation, the

heights in the table being taken between horizontal planes at the respective levels marked by the letters A to G, inclusive:

Table 1 Height in Reference planes: inches B to C 17% C to D 1 /1 D to E 6% E to F 10% F to G 28 G to G 2 A to G 99 Table 11 Area of annular hopper passage 29 Reference plane: in square feet D 4.89 E 5.47 F 2.30 G 0.51 G (16 fully open) 0.39

The somewhat modified form of my device illustrated in FIGURE 4 has its parts in substantial correspondence with the respective parts shown in device 19 in FIG- URE 1, such corresponding parts in the FIGURE 4 form being provided with the same reference numerals respectively with the addition of a prime accent thereto. Device It? is particularly useful in the case of solid substances of a more difiicult flow condition character in terms of the normal difiiculty which might be encountered in trying to cause such substances to flow or to retain a fiowable condition when stored, such as would be found in a slack coal having surface moisture contents in the neighborhood of 13% and above by weight based on the combined weight of coal and water. In such a situation, device It) facilitates the flow pursuant to this invention of such more difficult solid materials. It will be noted that there is a more sharply peaked cap cone 12' which tends to reduce the lateral pressure against the interiors of shell 11 during the course of such flow and that all of the tapered portion of hopper shell 13 is at a uniform angle of about 75 relative to the horizontal. In the case of the modified form of device like that shown in FIGURE 4, with a 12-inch diameter outlet, a maximum outflow rate per minute would be about 7 009 pounds for wet A x O-inch coal having a 1 2.6 weight percent moisture content, which is equal to about 6100 pounds er minute of moisture-free coal in the outflow material. It is also to be noted that devices of this invention are fully self-cleaning when a cap cone is used with a hopper cone in that they will clear themselves entirely of all of the solids therein if the outlet is left open until emptying takes place, which self-cleaning feature is an advantageous feature with many materials such as coal and grains concerning which the phenomenon of spontaneous combustion is often a problem.

In the further embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 5, parts therein corresponding generally in construction and functioning to parts of the structure shown in FIGURE 1 are provided with the same reference numerals respectively with the addition of the suffix letter a thereto. In that embodiment of FIGURE 5, it will be not-iced that device 10a is used substantially as a llow conduit at a junction between two conveyor belts 3thand 31, one or both of which may be of intermittent operation relative to the other. It will be realized that the solids fed by conveyor and carried away by conveyor 31 will cease flowing through device 10a whenever conveyor 31 is stopped and the level of the solids thereon rises to block outlet 16a thus serving as an automatic shut-off for device IOa even though conveyor 30 may still be bringing material and feeding it into the top of device Ida. It

will also be noticed that the portion 27a of inverted cone 14a is truncated although the theoretical apex point is still adjacent the plane of outlet 16a. It may still further be noted that the annular inverted conical passage 2% diverges somewhat in a downward direction in terms of the elements of conical shell 13a and inverted cone 14a lying in a plane through the vertical axis of device 10a. By means of the new conduit device 10a, my new solids flow principle is achieved and jamming and packing, which commonly occurred at junctions between conveyors, are eliminated.

While solids flow devices of this invention having curved or round horizontal cross sections are preferred, the principle of the invention nevertheless is obtainable is respect of hopper devices or cooperating bin and hopper devices in which the inverted cone is in the form of a pyramid. As used herein, the term cone and conical shall be deemed to include the terms pyramid and pyramidal respectively, whether square or rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, etc., inasmuch as a cone can be considered as a pyramidal figure having an infinitude of sides around which a circle or other closed figure (e.g., an ellipse) can be circumscribed. Accordingly, another modification of my invention having a pyramidal form in the respective cones and in the hopper shell is illustrated in FIGURE 6, the parts thereof otherwise corresponding generally in construction and functioning to parts shown in the FIGURE 1 form of the device being provided with the same reference numerals respectively with the addition of the suffix letter 12 thereto. As shown, a plane through the vertical central axis of the device 16b and the diagonal corners of the respective pyramidal cones 12b and 14b will also pass through the corresponding diagonal corners of shell portions 11b and 13b, although if desired the diagonal corners of the respective pyramidal cones may rotate about the axis of the device so as to be out of registry with the respective lanes passing through such diagonal corners of the shell portions of device 1012.

FIGURES 7 to 10, inclusive, illustrate a rectangular modification 1% of my invention employing a novel closure means. Such rectangular modification may be itself a combined bin and bin discharge device embodying the principle of my invention, or a bin discharge alone to be used in conjunction with a larger silo, bunker, or other equipment. It is rigidly connected to and supported by a girding frame 101 having vertical members 102 and binding across members 103 rigidly connected to device llid. As shown, device has a laterally enclosing outer shell 104- which may be of welded plate construction. The ends 105 thereof are vertical while the front and back thereof may utilize vertical plates 106 and 1&7 in the upper and intermediate portions thereof connected by inclined plates 108a which make an angle to the horizontal above the normal angle of repose of the loose material or materials to be handled by device 109. Plates 107 are joined in flush relation to plates 108 respectively which taper to a terminal outlet 109. Outlet 169 communicates with a relatively open spatial discontinuity, as do the outlets in the earlier described embodiments. Plates N8 form a frustum of an inverted cone in end view cross section. An elongated double cone-shaped in cross section member 110 with an upper or cap portion 111 and a lower or hopper portion 112 is welded of plates in coinciding base to base relation at a common plane 113 which is above a plane 114 passing through the joints or bends where the respective plates 107 and 103 meet. From end to end, the double cone-shaped member llltl is also somewhat like a diamond-shape in cross section and has its respective ends terminating at the plates 195 to which it may be rigidly fastened by welding. As shown in FIGURE 8, the double cone 110 flares downwardly from its upper apex 115 to corner projecti-ons 116 at the front and back where the bases of the respective cone sections meet and then the double cone 6 110 tapers downwardly on each side to a lower apex 117 in juxtaposition to outlet 159. Thus, outlet 109 is divided into front and back portions either or both of which may be left open, or opened, as desired, in connection with the particular service to which device is applied, whether stationary, or mobile. Device 100 and its supporting frame may be made mobile by supporting the same from a crane, or on a vehicle or other carrier and placement means.

The various plates of device 161} also instead of being Welded at the joints are capable of being made by bending at those locations, or otherwise shaped as desired and various fastenings other than welding may be used in constructing the device as and when so desired. Preferably, the inner surface 118 presented by the double cones and outer surface 1 19 presented by the shells 107-108 generally facing the inner surface, inclusive of the end portions 165 thereof, are relatively smooth and flush respectively Those surfaces define a collective conical passage in end view section below plane 114 comprising front and back inwardly and downwardly inclined portions terminating at outlet 109. The horizontal area of the opening bounded by plates 105 and 107 and of the distance between plates 1117 should be selected at no less area and/or minor dimension respectively than one of the order at which particulate solids having more or less difiicult flow characteristics will normally flow as a general rule. An opening of such an area inclusive of any such lesser dimension will, however, be impractical in general for the storage and/or feeding of such material into a boiler, furnace, heater, vehicle, or other customary receivers thereof. Consequently, my invention provides a means for effecting how and feeding through a practical size outlet at controllable rates irrespective of whether or not the material has relatively difllcult flow characteristics as is the case with wet coals especially in the smaller sizes. Flow through one or both sides of device 111] appears to follow the principle and achieve the novel flow character of my earlier described embodiments; and even when outlet 109 has been closed for a relatively long period of time, the opening thereof will immediately restart such flow. Further, it would appear that if a distributor or conveyor were utilized below an outlet of an embodiment of my invention and is extensive enough to carry away all flow from said outlet, there also exists a relatively open spatial discontinuity which would also exist in such a case as it does in the case of such outlet opening into a greater and relatively unconfined space.

A closure gate assembly 121 is provided for the front 1 and back portions of outlet 109 in the illustrated embodiment which enables such flow to be relatively easily regulated between the included extremes of no-ilow and full-flow. Closure assembly 121 may comprise a vertical hinge plate 122 which passes between the plates 112 at the apex 117 where it is secured thereto; such plate 122 extending horizontally to the end plates 1115 where it may also be welded. Piano-type hinges 123 are fastened in horizontal fashion to each side of plate 121 below the bottom of shell 108 defining the edges of outlet 1119. A gate 124 in turn is fastened to movable leaves of the respective hinges 123 and each may be provided with eyes 125 along the outer edge thereof near its ends. Eyes 125 are engaged by cables 125 the upper ends of which are adapted to be wound on drums 127 fixed to a Windlass shaft 128 when a handle 129 is turned in a winding direction. Shaft 12% is fastened by suitable brackets to frame 101 and the Windlass on each side of device 1111 is provided with a ratcheting wheel and releasable pawl (not shown) to hold the respective gate 124 connected thereto in whichever angular position to which it may be moved by a person turning handle 129. Thus in FIGURE 10, the right-hand gate is shown fully open while the lef -hand gate is shown held in a partially opened position. The

right hand gate is shown in chain outline also to indicate a fully closed position.

Each gate 124 may be provided with a step 130 to assist in the control of flow through the portion of outlet 199 thereabove, such step appearing to have an impeding effect helpful in such regulation which is a function of the angle to which a gate is adjusted by handle 129 for flow control between its fully open and fully closed positions, respectively. Further, whenever a gate 124 is moved to full closure position, no detrimental jamming of material occurs in the vicinity of the hinge and as and when that gate is lowered to a selected fiow position, flow from the outlet portion thereabove will recommence immediately in the manner of a free-flowing material.

Such a type of rectangular modification is shown in FIGURES 11 and 12 as a storage and free-flow feeding device for the larry car or cars of a coke oven or ovens and parts thereof corresponding generally in construction and functioning to parts shown in FlGURES 7 to 10 are provided with the same reference numerals respectively with the addition of a prime accent thereto. Thus, device 1% is fixed to a frame 101' mounted on the binding of a by-product coke oven 131 with transverse retorts to a selected one of which coal for coking is fed periodically through its ports 132 by a larry car. Ports 132 normally are covered by covers 132a which have been removed in FIGURE 11 for the purpose of showing how a larry car 133 embodying this invention would be utillzable to refill such a retort with coking coal in a more rapid and troublefree manner after device 1% had been shut olf and car 133 moved into position directly above such ports in the selected retort oven. Remotely controllable motor operators 134 provided with magnetic brakes or other holding mechanism are shown for the powered operation of Windlass drums 127 in the operation of device 1%.

Larry car embodiment 133 is provided with a rigid vehicle frame 135 having downwardly extending legs 136 which terminate in flanged wheels which travel on rails 138 fastened to the top of the coke producing battery so that the larry car can be replenished from bin device 1% as needed to feed the respective retorts in the furnace. A coking coal receiver body 139 is rigidly connected to frame 135 and the inside thereof is integrally connected in a relatively flush manner to a plurality of spout feeders 140 extending across the whole bottom thereof. Each such feeder spout is circular in plan and comprises a shell having a vertical upper portion 141 and a tapered lower portion 142 with a right circular double cone member 143 positioned therein and rigidly held in place by a spider 14-4 defining a common base plane for the upper cone-shaped portion 145 and the lower inverted cone-shaped portion 146. Such common base plane is above a horizontal plane 147 passing through the joint or corner Where the upper and lower shell portions of feeder 140 meet. The downwardly tapered passage 148 between the inner and outer surfaces in each feeder 14-0 extends to an outlet 149 in juxtaposition to the apex 150 of the lower cone-shaped member. The outlet is normally closed by a slide 151 remotely operable in guides 152. A cylinder 153 may be connected to each slide gate 151 with the piston rod 154 thereof pivotally fastened to the outside of feeder 141) so that upon suitable opening or closing actuation of the slide operator 153-154- by suitable valve and flexible fluid flow connections (not shown), the door of one or more of the feeders 141 can be operated individually or group-wise as desired when car 133 is directly above a set of open ports 132 to charge such retort with coking coal. It will be understood that other uses and forms of material-handling car and vehicle constructions may be made within the contemplation and teaching of my invention.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that a major new principle has been discovered to obtain flows of particulate solids as and when desired. Moreover, it will be apparent that the new constructions hereunder may be made of a variety of substances including common materials and that such constructions will be of relatively low cost. Still further, it will be apparent that while the embodiments illustrated include both cap and inverted cones or cone-shaped sections, the principle of this invention is utilizable if material is fed into a tapered hopper of my invention around the top of or in the annular inverted conical or downwardly and inwardly inclined space between the exterior of the inverted cone or cone-shaped section and the interior of the hopper shell in which event no cap cone or bin shell would be used. It will be apparent, again, that While the new devices of this invention have been illustratively described in connection with the flow of coal which heretofore has been regarded as posing a problem to place or retain in flowable condition as moisture content thereof increased, my new principle is applicable also to other solids which, because of surface moisture, whether water or other liquid, or internal moisture, or frictional characteristics, or deformability under pressure, might normally be expected to cause difficulty in flowing or to have their flowable condition depreciate when stored, may be handled by devices of this invention with improvement of iiowable quality because of the forces operative upon such solids when in or flowing through devices of this invention. Such solids in addition to coal might include, for example but without limitation thereto, various grains, chemicals, elastic and plastic materials, ore, fly ash, slag, cement, coke and coke breeze, crushed stone, clay, sand, gravel, sawdust, asbestos dust, starchy-content and like materials, mica and other substances, whether inherently discrete particles or otherwise placed in particle, lump, granule, nodule, pellet or other separate subdivided or agglomerated particulate form which it may be desired to subject substantially to gravity flow in the course of the handling, transporting and/ or treating thereof. While devices made in accordance with my invention appear to Work best when the parts thereof are in vertical coaxial or symmetrical relation with the conical or cone-shaped members thereof being in the nature of a right-angled cone, nevertheless advantages are obtainable pursuant to my new principle if the axis of such a device is positioned somewhat out of a vertical position, or when some eccentricity may exist in the axial positioning of the cone or cones as the case may be relative to their respective shell or shells, or when any such cone has the vertex thereof offset from a vertical axis normal to the base and passing through the center thereof of said base. And, conoids and conoidal members may be utilized also in practicing my invention, the terms cone and conical herein to be deemed further to include the term conoid and conoidal respectively. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 795,994 filed February 27, 1959, now Patent No. 3,081,009, of March 12, 1963.

It will also be apparent that various modifications may be made in embodiments of this invention without departure from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a solids flow device for particulate materials, apparatus comprising, in combination, a laterally enclosing shell having a substantially vertical upper portion and a lower portion having a downward taper in cross section, the angle of said taper to the horizontal being steep and at least equal to the angle of repose for said materials in loose condition relative to the substance of said shell, said shell having a substantially horizontal outlet at the lower end thereof, a double-apexed member substantially in base-to-base relation positioned in the middle of said shell, said member having the upper and lower portions thereof cone shaped in cross section with the lower such cone-shaped portion being inverted, a plane through said common base of said cone-shaped sections being adjacent but above a plane through the meeting line of said upper and lower portions of said shell, the lower end of said inverted cone-shaped portion being in juxtaposition to said outlet, a movable closure for said outlet positioned in juxtaposition thereto, said closure having a hinge positioned adjacent but below said outlet and a step opposing the direction of flow from said outlet on the side of said closure generally facing said outlet, and means for holding said closure in a selected position between and inclusive of the extremes corresponding to the fully open and fully closed positions thereof.

2. In a solids flow device, apparatus comprising, in combination, a shell rectangular in plan, one pair of opposite sides thereof being substantially vertical, the other pair of opposite sides thereof having an upper portion which is substantially upright and a lower portion which converge downwardly at a steep angle, the bottom edge of all of said sides defining a terminal outlet of practical size for said solids, a member extending between the first-mentioned pair of opposite sides for connection thereto, said member being positioned symmetrically between the second-mentioned pair of opposite sides, said member having a generally diamond-shaped crosssection in a vertical plane with a longer vertical axis and a shorter horizontal axis, said horizontal axis being adjacent and above the level at which said upper and lower portions of said second-mentioned pair of opposite sides meet, the bottom of said member being adjacent said outlet to substantially divide the same into two portions, and separately regulatable closure means for said portions of said outlet.

3. In a solids flow device, apparatus comprising, in combination, a shell rectangular in plan, one pair of opposite sides thereof being substantially vertical, the other pair of opposite sides thereof having an upper portion which is substantially upright and a lower portion which converge downwardly at a steeple angle, the bottom edge of all of said sides defining a terminal outlet of practical size for said solids, a member extending between the firstmentioned pair of opposite sides for connection thereto, said member being positioned symmetrically between the second-mentioned pair of opposite sides, said member having a generally diamond-shaped cross section in a vertical plane with a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, said horizontal axis being adjacent but above the level at which said upper and lower portions of said secondmentioned pair of sides meet, the bottom of said member being adjacent said outlet and substantially dividing the same into two portions.

4. In a solids flow device for particulate materials, apparatus comprising, in combination, a laterally enclosing shell having a substantially vertical upper portion and a downwardly tapered lower portion, the angle of said taper to the horizontal being steeply sloped and at least equal to the angle of repose for said materials in loose condition relative to the substance of said shell, said shell having a transverse outlet at the lower end thereof for discharge of said materials therefrom, a double conical member positioned generally centrally in said shell, said member having the upper and lower portions thereof cone shaped in cross section with the lower such cone shaped portion being inverted and the respective bases of said portions substantially coinciding, said bases being positioned adjacent but above the meeting line between said upper and lower portions of said shell, said meeting line between said shell portions being positioned closer to said bases of said cone-shaped portions than it is to said outlet, said inverted cone-shaped portion forming an annular funnel-shaped unimpeded discharge passage with said lower portions of said shell and having its lower end in juxtaposition to said outlet, said bases being horizontally and radially spaced inwardly from said substantially vertical upper portion to define an annular passage portion of increasing area in a downward direction between the level of said bases and of said meeting line, a selectively operable closure member for said outlet swingably positioned in juxtaposition thereto, said closure member having a step portion opposing the direction of flow from said outlet on the side of said member generally facing said outlet, and means for holding said closure member in any selected open position to regulate flow of material from said outlet.

5. In a solids flow device, apparatus comprising, in combination, a bin having a shell rectangular in plan, one pair of opposite sides thereof being upwardly extending, the other pair of opposite sides thereof having an upper portion which is substantially upright and a lower portion which converge downwardly at a steep angle, the bottom edge of all of said sides defining an outlet for said solids, a member extending between the first-mentioned pair of opposite sides for connection thereto, said member being positioned symmetrically between the secondmentioned pair of opposite sides, said member having a generally diamond-shaped cross section in a vertical plane with a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, said horizontal axis being adjacent but above the level at which said upper and lower portions of said second-mentioned pair of sides meet, the lower end of said member being adjacent said outlet and substantially dividing the same into two portions, a car adapted to be moved into replenishment position beneath said outlet, said car having a body with upwardly extending sides and at least one feeder spout extending from the bottom of said body, said feeder spout comprising a tapered portion sloped at a steep angle to a feeder outlet and a double conical member substantially in base-to-base relation with the lower end thereof adjacent said feeder outlet, said bases of said double conical member being adjacent but above the top of said tapered portion.

6. In a solids fiow device, apparatus comprising, in combination, a bin, a car adapted to be moved into replenishment position beneath said pin, said car having a body with upwardly extending sides and at least one feeder spout extending from the bottom of said body, said feeder spout comprising a tapered portion sloped at a steep angle to a feeder outlet and a double conical member substantially in base-to-base relation with the lower end thereof adjacent said feeder outlet, said bases of said double conical member being adjacent but above the top of said tapered portion, and a closure member for said feeder spout.

7. In a solids flow device, apparatus comprising, in combination, a bin having a shell rectangular in plane, one pair of opposite sides thereof being substantially vertical, the other pair of opposite sides thereof having an upper portion which is substantially upright and a lower portion which converge downwardly at a steep angle, the bottom edge of all of said sides defining an outlet for said solids, a member extending between the first-mentioned pair of opposite sides for connection thereto, said member being positioned symmetrically between the second-mentioned pair of opposite sides, said member having a generally diamond-shaped cross section in a vertical plane with a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, said horizontal axis being adjacent but above the level at which said upper and lower portions of said second-mentioned pair of sides meet, the lower end of said member being ad- Cit jacent said outlet and substantially dividing the same into two portions, a larry car adapted to be moved into replenishment position beneath said outlet, said larry car having a body with generally upright sides and a plurality of feeder spouts extending transversely across the bottom of said body in side-by-side relation, each such feeder spout having an upper portion with substantially upright walls and a tapered lower portion sloped at a steep angle to a feeder outlet, a double conical member substantially in base-to-base relation with the lower end adjacent said feeder outlet, the level of said bases of said double conical members being adjacent but above the junction between said upper and lower portions of said feeder spouts, and a selectively operable closure for each feeder spout.

8. In a solids flow device for particulate materials, apparatus comprising, in combination, a laterally enclosing shell having a substantially vertical upper portion and a downwardly tapered lower portion, the angle of said 7 taper to the horizontal being steeply sloped and at least equal to the angle of repose for said materials in loose condition relative to the substance of said shell, said shell having a transverse outlet at the lower end thereof for discharge of said materials therefrom, a double conical member positioned generally centrally in said shell, said member having the upper and lower portions thereof cone shaped in cross section with the lower such cone-shaped portion being inverted and the respective bases of said portions substantially coinciding, said bases being positioned adjacent but above the meeting line between said upper and lower portions of said shell, said meeting line between said shell portions being positioned closer to said bases of said cone-shaped portions than it is to said outlet, said inverted cone-shaped portion forming an annular funnel-shaped unimpeded discharge passage with said lower portions of said shell and having its lower end in juxtaposition to said outlet, said bases being horizontally and radially spaced inwardly from said substantially vertical upper portion to define an annular passage portion of increasing area in a downward direction between the level of said bases and of said meeting line, means for regulating the quantity of flow of solids discharged through said outlet, a track, and a vehicle adapted to be moved beneath said outlet on said track to be replenished with solids therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 575,550 Mathews Jan. 19, 1897 846,751 Melvin Mar. 12, 1907 1,339,682 Allen May 11, 1920 1,732,442 Jaeger Oct. 22, 1929 2,471,288 Schulz May 24, 1949 2,611,876 Hartmann Sept. 23, 1952 2,670,105 Huhn Feb. 23, 1954 2,765,894 Craig Oct. 9, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 462,709 Germany July 17, 1928 471,223 Germany Feb. 8, 1929 982,017 France Jan. 24, 1951 502,663 Italy Dec. 1. 1. 4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N00 3, 124, 170 March 10; 1-964 Franklin Do Cooper It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 57, after "size" insert a comma; column 6, line 14, for "is", second occurrence, read in line 17, for "term" read terms same column 6, line 48, for "across" read cross column 7 line 38, for "110" read lOO column lO,' line 37, for "steeple" read steep column 11, line 37, for "pin" read bin Signed and sealed this 14th day of July 1964.

(SEAL) Attest:

ESTON G. JOHNSON EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

6. IN A SOLIDS FLOW DEVICE, APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BIN, A CAR ADAPTED TO BE MOVED INTO REPLENISHMENT POSITION BENEATH SAID PIN, SAID CAR HAVING A BODY WITH UPWARDLY EXTENDING SIDES AND AT LEAST ONE FEEDER SPOUT EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID BODY, SAID FEEDER SPOUT COMPRISING A TAPERED PORTION SLOPED AT A STEEP ANGLE TO A FEEDER OUTLET AND A DOUBLE CONICAL MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY IN BASE-TO-BASE RELATION WITH THE LOWER END THEREOF ADJACENT SAID FEEDER OUTLET, SAID BASES OF SAID DOUBLE CONICAL MEMBER BEING ADJACENT BUT ABOVE THE TOP OF SAID TAPERED PORTION, AND A CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SAID FEEDER SPOUT. 